Response: Why You Were Probably Expecting Too Much From Taylor Swift, Andrea Lampros

I read this article today entitled, "Parent Regrets: Why I Wish We Never Went to See Taylor Swift" and the arguments made in the article bother me. I'll go through the post little by little, but the author basically says the following: "Wah, wah, wah, I'm butthurt that Taylor Swift isn't the perfect symbol for feminists and her concerts are too flashy."

Good thing she didn't go to this concert; I imagine her son and husband would be scarred for life.

That said, here we go.

A note to moms: If you're thinking about taking your daughters to see Taylor Swift as their first concert, and maybe your first show since the Indigo Girls in 1996, please don't.

Here's your problem, Andrea. You haven't been to a concert in fifteen years. Things are different now. Concerts need to gross hundreds of millions of dollars now. Taylor Swift doesn't actually make money by selling millions of records (believe it or not). She makes money from endorsements and concert ticket sales. (Unless Tay Tay has a 360 deal, which is a possibility).

If you're thinking you'll see a sweet Southern singer/songwriter on stage with her guitar, a few pretty dresses, and simplistic but heartfelt lyrics, you won't.

If you want to see that, go to the House of Blues. You could probably see someone like Adele there. She's probably more up your alley, although not country or southern.

The overwhelming message of the Swift concert to the sea of girls ages 5 to 55: be pretty, be conventional, be quiet (well, it's OK to scream for me), and definitely put on some lipstick.

Bitch much? Considering anything I've ever seen of Taylor swift, she's hardly "conventional." She wears cute dresses instead of lingerie on stage. You ought to be happy you didn't bring your family to a Britney Spears concert where she dry humps the stage for ninety minutes.

When my 10-year-old daughter learned to belt out "A Place in this World" on her guitar a few months ago, I began to feel some affection for Swift. Country music up until the quasi-country, anti-Bush Dixie Chicks had never appealed to me, but Swift's commitment to writing her own songs and to making her own way in the music business was compelling. And she even maintained some dignity after being publicly berated by an obnoxious Kanye West.

Agreed. Taylor Swift is probably the closest I'd get to country music. She seems to handle herself with dignity and poise too, which is, well, unconventional. Plus she writes her songs, like you said.

On a recent trip to Washington, DC, my husband and I splurged on Swift tickets for ourselves and kids -- an 8-year-old boy and two girls, ages 10 and 12. We thought the young singer would be especially inspirational to our daughters who love her music and are avid musicians.

That's sweet of you. Taking your three children to a concert would be quite the outlay of cash for not just tickets, but food and souvenirs as well. And you suckered your husband into tagging along as well. You sneaky devil, you. However, I'm not sure that your reason of it "being inspirational" to your daughters was the best use of your money. But I'll give you a pass—you haven't been to a concert in fifteen years.

We joined the ebullient, predominantly female concertgoers in floral H&M jumpers and cowboy boots streaming into DC's Verizon Center. Many arrived holding their daughters' hands before the first two opening bands to stand in long lines for Swift t-shirts and merchandise and take photos next to the towering Swift cutouts in the lobby.

I hope people paying that much money for tickets at least saw the opening acts. Oftentimes, that's the best part of a concert. Also, those opening acts might have also served as an inspiration for your daughters. Or your son or even your husband for that matter.

The scene was sweet until you got to the CoverGirl stands (Swift is a CoverGirl) where girls of all ages sat on stools before stage mirrors to receive makeovers -- perhaps selecting the lip and eye colors that Taylor wears.

Cross promotion, baby. I'm sure that's in a contract somewhere. Maybe CoverGirl pays part of the concert expenses, or it's a part of her endorsement, either way, is this really important? Do you never wear makeup? If you do, why do you?

The message -- you're not really beautiful until you cake your tiny, pre-pubescent face with makeup -- wasn't the empowering one I had envisioned. (I later watched a five year old with ruby red lipstick pouting because the color had come off in her cotton candy. Welcome to the hardscrabble world, baby.)

This is actually complete, utter bullshit. What little girl doesn't like playing with makeup? For a child, makeup is a fun, tactile, experiment in dress up. This isn't even relegated to those without a Y chromosome; little boys enjoy make up too. This has nothing to do with empowering or belittling children. It doesn't tell them, "you're only as beautiful as the makeup you cake on your face." And if it does, you're probably not doing a very good job as their mother.

OK, I thought, that's advertising -- not Swift's fault? Actually the pre-tweens in makeup set the scene for the CoverGirl meets Disney extravaganza.

At least you seem to be giving Miss Swift the benefit of the doubt, here. Not sure what the latter half means, but I'm not to keen on the over-Disneyfication of our youth, either.

After her opening "Sparks Fly," that featured an inordinate amount of hair flipping, Swift stood on the stage for what felt like a long and awkward few minutes, taking in the screams of her girl fans, eyes wide open with feigned amazement. Glancing to the far reaches of the arena where fans paid upwards of $130 per ticket (the going rate on Craigslist), she gazed left. She gazed right. She beamed. She stood still and put her hands to her heart.

This is what she does. I've not been to a concert, but any performance I've seen, she does this. I think it's nice actually. She seems earnest in her appreciation of her fans. There aren't many concerts where the artist attempts to make a connection with the entire audience, as opposed to the front few rows. Complaining about ticket prices won't get you anywhere either. That's not something she controls; talk to LiveNation/Ticketmaster about that one. I could write entire blog posts about that, so don't get me started.

Throughout the concert, even the best songs -- "Speak Now" and "Fifteen" -- were convoluted by an elaborate stage show and a relentless multimedia set with projected live images of Swift inside a gigantic framed mirror. Hearts and words with curly-cue lettering flashed on the screens. (The most ironic image projected was of a girl's quaint bulletin board with a tacked up ticket stub for a concert that cost $10.)

I think next time you need to do a little more research, Andrea. You went to a concert at a venue that seats 20,000 and expected an intimate style show. At a place like the Verizon center where you are paying "upwards of $130" a ticket, that's not what you're going to get. You're going to get a show. There will be explosions, lights, lasers, projections, and —yes— even a little hair flipping. You can see concerts for $10, too, though I understand the irony.

Dancers swirled up and down a staircase in the middle of the set and around Swift like something out of Glee, but not as entertaining. The music and lyrics (which do speak to girls) were secondary to the sparkle and fireworks -- literally -- of the stage.

Glee is not entertaining. Glee is just a high production value karaoke run by a couple douchebags who whine anytime a band won't let them use their songs. The show is unoriginal, uninspiring, and boring. Not to mention it's just a vehicle to offload said karaoke onto iTunes. And yes there will be sparkles and fireworks at concerts now. Especially ones that take place in large venues such as the Verizon Center.

Fleshing out the princess theme, Swift even drifted just above the crowd in a floating balcony -- her eyes seemingly meeting the eyes of each concertgoer. My husband was sure she was singing just to him.

Not sure if this is a complaint or not, but perhaps you should have enjoyed the show rather than critiquing every.single.aspect of the show. I'm all for critiquing but you could have tried to enjoy the concert at least a little.

My 10-year-old girl stood rapt on her chair, taking in everything. Like most of the girls (except the 13 year old making out with her boyfriend in the row in front of me) she loudly sang along with each song.

Yeah, you're going to see people making out at concerts. Sometimes same-sex couples if that sort of thing bothers you, or if you wish to protect your children from it (though, I hope not). If kids making out bothers you, I advise you to avoid any festivals or any concert with a "lawn" section. You, your husband, and your children will be exposed to far worse. You'll thank me for it.

I didn't expect Taylor Swift to make any radical, edgy, feminist remarks, but I also didn't expect Gidget meets the Little Mermaid. What an incredible platform for Swift to say something as simple as "Girls rock!" or something even crazier like "Love yourselves!"

I'm sorry, but saying "Girls rock!" or "Love yourselves!" is as lame as Glee. Honestly, this is your job. Do you want to rely on pop stars to get your children to like and appreciate themselves? Sure, maybe it wouldn't hurt for children to receive positive messages from many sources, but—really?— "Girls Rock?" I think I saw that on a backpack. And a t-shirt. And a Trapper Keeper. It was lame every single time.

Instead, she finished each song by looking wide-eyed into the crowd and noting how "amazing" it was that so many peopled came to the show and how "beautiful" everyone looked (incredible how she could see people with all those lights in her eyes).

Are you kidding me? You want her to say "Love yourselves" but telling the crowd how beautiful they look is too chock-full-o-bullshit to you? Maybe she couldn't see the crowd; maybe she could. I have no way of knowing, but complaining that she said you're all beautiful makes you look like you're just trying to find something to complain about. And if people came to see me perform night after night, I'd still find it amazing. I'd find it amazing that anyone would spend that kind of money just to see me, no matter how talented or famous I was. To spend that kind of money is amazing and she understands that. Don't you find it amazing that 20,000 people wanted to watch her sing? Consider most of the spectators were probably so far away that they needed to look at the Jumbotron just to see her.

But people aren't paying money to see her, or even watch her perform. People are paying that money for the experience. Good and bad. Parking at a venue like that? Terrible and practically robbery. Who wants to pay that much for a ticket to a show anyway, much less for five tickets? Souvenirs are crappy and overpriced and the food is equally terrible and expensive. But this is what concerts are. This is the, dare I say, charm of a big concert. This is also why some people prefer small venues. Good luck seeing U2 at one of those, though.

Maybe my family got the vacuous experience we deserved. That would be true if it were just a benignly bad concert experience. The problem is that it was an insidious concert experience that emphasized everything but the artist's voice -- the flowing fairy dresses and saccharine monologues covering up Swift's real power. Covering up girl power.

How was the concert insidious? In what way were you or your family harmed? Maybe this was in the bad part of DC? You went to a venue that seats 20,000 what did you expect if not a flashy, explosion-filled performance. Oh right. You expected girl power.

Don't you think that maybe, just maybe this could still inspire your daughter? Maybe she will look at this and realize that women can play music or create art that tens of thousands of people would be more than happy to converge and experience together. That girls can do whatever they want. They can be wildly successful and play giant arenas like U2 or play small hole-in-the-wall pubs for 100 people. That one can be equally successful playing both places is a lesson you could teach your daughters.

The best moments were rare authentic ones with Swift's top lip a wee bit sweaty, hair oh-so-slightly disheveled, strumming "Mean" on a banjo and later "Fearless" on a ukulele. That's what we had come to see, but it was fleeting.

 That's your token mellow song most every large concert has. Sets like these allow the performer to catch their breath in addition to making a more "direct" appeal to the crowd. This is what you wanted the entire concert to be. This is not how large, high-production concerts are produced. Most people would not be happy paying $135-$500 for this type of concert—especially given that most concertgoers could barely see her on stage with just her banjo.

This isn't her fault, nor is it yours. She puts on a certain concert and you were expecting something different. Should you have maybe done a little research? Yeah, probably. Were your expectations for a super positive, "you go, girl" type experience a little out of reach? Yeah, probably. Not because you were unreasonable, though, mostly just because that's not what the other 19,995 people there wanted to hear. The girl positive messages are in her lyrics and (probably) in interviews she gives.

As the house lights came on, my older daughter, age 12 and a half, gave me a deflated, knowing look. My younger daughter was tired but managed to quietly gush: "I loved it." My son loved his glow stick.

 It sounds like your older children know your expectations, and knew you were disappointed. I don't know if this is good or bad. On one hand, you've gotten your beliefs across, which is good. But on the other hand, they probably wished they could revel in the joy that they just saw a sweet concert with their mom instead of having to worry about your disappointment in the show. In all, you wanted to take your daughter to see a concert, to feel inspired and have fun. Did you do that? Did your children enjoy themselves? That's all that should matter.

I hope more discerning parents than us might think twice about Swift tickets. Better to have to explain the explicit sexuality of someone like Gaga and her "Born this Way" message than to have to undo the message of female powerlessness -- especially from an artist who is so fervently emulated by girls. If you have tickets already, perhaps you can prep your music lover. It's sort of like a game of I Spy: look hard and look deeply for Swift's voice. It's there, just buried in the fluff.

Speak Now tour? More like Speak softly and smile a lot.

I don't normally think of Lady GaGa as "explicitly sexual." Sure her style is a bit avant garde but I don't usually see her shoving dildos in her vagina. I think she just has fun with fashion and has a certain aesthetic she likes (Think: Alexander McQueen). I'd say pop stars like Rhianna or Britney are more sexual than GaGa.

As for "her 'Born This Way' message," what are you talking about? I really hope you're not saying this is a message you'd rather they not know or have to "explain" away. Considering all the complaints you made  about wanting your children exposed to more powerful, positive messages "Born This Way" should be the Holy Grail of positive messages for them to hear.

There's nothing wrong with loving who you are"
She said, "'Cause he made you perfect, babe"

"So hold your head up girl and you'll go far,
Listen to me when I say"

I'm beautiful in my way
'Cause God makes no mistakes
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way

Don't hide yourself in regret
Just love yourself and you're set
I'm on the right track, baby
I was born this way

I can think of no more empowering a message than accepting who you are and embracing yourself—realizing that you are beautiful the way you were made. For all her quirks and fancy, Lady Gaga really is a good role model for a child. But so is Taylor Swift. If you are going to let a concert spoil her message, you might not be winning at that little game called Life.

Effect And Cause

Certainly there are no benefits to a government shutdown, but I do love any excuse for our representatives and senators to have some personality (a la Anthony Weiner)

I may not be glued to C-SPAN on a regular basis, but I definitely approve of Donna Edwards channeling The White Stripes.

Sometimes Wedding Bells Sound More Like Thunder Claps

Weddings are fickle things. They are important but silly all at the same time. They are kind of like birthdays in a way. I don't feel much different on or after my birthday, but the ticker that keeps track of my life has seemed fit to increase by one. After a wedding, is anything really different than before? I don't think marriage makes you care for someone more or love them more, but the way people treat weddings, you feel like you ought to.

I maintain a wedding is just a big ass party; I don't think you can deny that. Sure, there's a ceremony, but the bulk of a wedding is the reception-- that's the part people have fun at, the part people remember. Do people really remember a ho-hum ceremony when the DJ rocked some pretty phat beats courtesy Kenny G? I highly doubt it.

So it seems silly that for what is essentially a gathering of people, strongly resembling that of a party, has so much pressure put on it. Even more weird is that, most weddings are pretty much the same, formulaic bullshit. No offense to anyone who opts for such a wedding, some people love tradition, I respect that. I just think people should shake things up a bit from time to time.

I don't know if the best way to manifest that is by playing the Sex Pistols at a wedding, though. Just sayin'

There is definitely a weird aura that surrounds weddings and their planning, though. Everyone has an opinion. Most of those people, of course, are the ones who pay for weddings, so their opinions tend to find themselves grounded more in fact than opinion, though. This can be kind of stressful at times though, when the same people are telling you to do what you want to do in one breath, and the next don't seem too thrilled by your choices.

Like rings. Engagement rings aren't really necessary, are they?

Apparently to everyone else they are very important.

A song which will likely be played at the wedding:




This is pretty much verbatim what went down buying a suit. Some words may be slightly off, but I could not understand the tailor at all. Personally, since she was a woman, I think she is a seamstress. To me, tailors are men.

The salesman dude reminded me of an amalgamation of a whole lot of people. I actually quite liked him, though. He wasn't very pushy (until the end, but that's okay, I guess). He was more than patient, gave us space, and didn't mind being playful. Salesmen are all too often far too serious. I know, I used to be one and worked with a bunch of them. Pushy little fuckers. That company is out of business now though, so it serves them right. He had a kindness about him though, sort of Tim Gunn-esque. Just not as fabulous.

Prairie dogs. Need I say more?

Pronghorns. Their horns are unlike that of other horned animals. They actually shed their horns every year. They are also bone, which is covered in a sort of hair-like furryness.

Pygmy marmosets. Pretty much Krissy's favorite animal ever, so they had to be included. The Howler Monkeys are rather fun, too.

Apparently, dinosaurs are not appropriate. I think the dinosaurs and zoo animals would get along just fine. A rather large group of people are under the impression that humans and dinosaurs once coexisted peacefully, so I think they'd get along with peacocks as well.

Seating cards. If we could do it the way I'd want to (in an ideal world) they'd be flawless and seamless. Since we lack the right kinds of equipment and expertise and junk, we'll have to settle for adorable and still pretty kick-ass.

Where the whole shin-dig is going down. This picture is so pro. I should get paid for this kind of thing.

What's nice is that the walls are wood, so any light ends up with a very warm color temperature.



Peacock! They just roam about. There are at least five of them. This one is particularly pretty.



In the end, any stress really isn't worth it, though. Minuscule details, even if not perfect, will probably be forgotten. What people will remember is if the day was fun, if they enjoyed themselves, and hopefully that the day was a bit different.

The Return Of Weezer. Well, Sort Of.

There are a lot of people who are, let's just say, less than enthused with Weezer lately. And by "lately" I mean the last fourteen years or so. You see, to some, Weezer kind of dropped off after Pinkerton. And yes, Pinkerton is a great album, as was the Blue album.

But their other music isn't bad, it's just different.

I do understand why people are disappointed, though. In his teens and twenties, Rivers was writing deep, intellectual and emotional songs. In his forties, he's writing about getting sex; It's kind of ironic, considering one of their earlier songs was "Tired of Sex."

But maybe they are coming back, so to speak. Some of the songs on Death To False Metal (which I believe were old unreleased songs from the Blue/Green era) weren't so bad. And then there's this.






Yes-- it's an ad, which kind of blows. But it is a song, and it is pretty good and retro Weezer-esque.

As far as advertisements go, this is definitely one of the better ones.

In Which I Look Back At An Old Website...And Other Stuff

I've always been interested in design and graphics, well, for at least as long as I can remember. I've dabbled in so many different programs that I feel like I'd used them all before I hit college. I remember downloading Paint Shop Pro (version 7, IIRC) from KaZaA on my brothers computer when I couldn't have been older than ten. I remember upgrading to Photoshop, though I can't remember which version. I remember a friend in my Computer Science class in high school passing along a copy of Dreamweaver and Fireworks to me at my request. It's actually kind of funny, because I still have the disc, even though Macromedia, who created the programs, no longer exists since Adobe bought them out, and because they are cust so old. Adobe released CS5 last year, which means that they are, at least, five versions past due. But it's funny to look back on it.

I remember downloading 3D Studio Max, which is a three-dimensional rendering program. If you don't know what that means, imagine Pixar movies, they are made with that type of program.

Now you might be thinking at this point about all the programs I've stolen and how I'm a bad person. Sure, it was wrong, but considering that I was like ten I feel like I probably shouldn't have the hammer come down on me too swiftly. Also, 3DS Max costs like $3,000-$6,000 if I remember correctly, not exactly in my budget at the time. Besides, I was really just taking them for a test drive, it's not like the companies were losing money from me.

I also used the GIMP, briefly. I never took to it's user interface, and I really had a problem with it's ugly name. The GNU Image Manipulator Project (that's more or less what it means). Essentially, the GIMP is Photoshop, but free and open-source. It does almost everything Photoshop does but it's supported by hundreds of people who devote their time to make it better.


In college, I quickly realized that I didn't enjoy life at school. The campus was beautiful at times, and ugly at others. There was some really awful modern looking buildings like the Javit's Center, but the campus was 1,300 acres of real beauty, marred by giant blobs of concrete. The newer architecture wasn't so bad.

Old, ugly architecture. That's a cube on stilts in back.

The Wang Center, yes, really. It's actually an amazing building.

Anyway, at some point, I decided to make a website. Apparently, I felt there weren't enough websites around for teaching things. Most likely, I created it moreso for myself as a sort of archive of what I'd been teaching myself. I didn't know much, but I decided to put what I did know to work; besides, it was more fun than going to class.

I decided to call the website Hugging Bunnies. I can't tell you why, specifically, that was just what came out. Though, I like cute things, I always have, so I'm guessing that has something to do with the naming. My AIM screen name was always imalilchoochoo, so you can see where I might come up with Hugging Bunnies. Above is the header of the "Graphics" section. It's kind of cheesy and in no way what I would consider good or professional, but I liked it. It fit the site. Besides, I had no idea what I was doing, really. Well, sometimes I did.

This is the main page, the index, or the front page, whatever you would prefer to call it. The page looks especially cool with my custom shell for windows, which I am not going to get into, that is really, really too nerdy to discuss here.

As you can see, even then I was a tab-a-holic, always multitasking beyond recognition. I also had Dreamweaver open, for creating the site, obviously. Next to that is my AIM window, because I was always chatting to people. And I has SSH open to upload the site to my student server space. Eventually, I bought a domain and had the site hosted at huggingbunnies.com, which is now, sadly, defunct.

The website had a lot of flash, because I was trying to teach myself how to flash (*giggle*). The flash was subtle, though. I like the design though, it's very clean and streamlined. I think the big black blobs were placeholders, because they totally clash with the design. The icons are pixel-art based. I like the black and white style with the splash of aqua for the links. On the left was, I believe, random quotes made by professors and students. From what I recall, my professors had pretty good senses of humor. Some of them were just downright crazy.

I remember making a lot of desktop backgrounds. I recently came across this one. While it is very plain and simple, and not particularly special in any way, it's neat. I like blue, I always used a lot of blue, I think. Sort of how when I paint I use a lot of a certain shade of green because it seems woodsy.





Also, back in the day I was the administrator for a BBS, (basically a web forum). I don't know why I joined it, really. I think I liked the name, although the forum was far too pink and frou frou, it needed some testosterone. I remember doing lots of graphics and stuff.

Eventually, I completely overtook the site and made a few friends (and probably some enemies). I learned a lot during that time; mostly about 4chan and the annals of the internet, which is kind of ironic considering the power puff girls feel the forum had going.



I created banners and stuff in my spare time, which I had a lot of due to the whole hating school thing I had going. This one was a ninja themed one. I like it, it's neat. I'm sure there are some cliches and I'm sure it's terrible, but considering my circumstances at the time, I think it came out okay.



Pink! Although, I like this one. It's more magenta or fuchsia, which I like. And the text makes it look kind of dorky with a modern twist.



This one is tiny (at least on my screen), but it's pirate themed. I remember having a thing for ninjas and pirates back then. I'm a boy, so it comes with the territory, I suppose. But the whole ninja-pirate thing was kind of popular then, too. Not that it isn't now. It's like velociraptors, they're never not cool.

At a certain point, my friend Jote and I ran the site, but basically used it as a testing ground for other, cooler projects we wanted to start. I remember there being all kinds of random projects, and it was fun. The radio.blog was one of them. I liked creating banners back then, so any excuse to make one was fine by me. I also love music, so a radio.blog skin seemed destined to be made. This is my favorite:



I never much cared for the RIAA, because they are a horrible organization pretending to care about the musicians they pretend to represent. This was how I decided to express that frustration. It seemed fitting on so many levels. And the little boy reminds me of myself. Though, my teeth aren't that bucktoothed.

This was another header for the radio.blog. I went through a squares phase. I guess it was related to the pixel art phase, just expanded and blown up. Again, I used blue because I'm a dork and I like blue. In fact, I'm wearing a blue shirt right now.



Last, but not least, and likely not the last new old art I'll dig up and post here is this render I made in 3D Studio Max. I suppose it's only fitting that I would end up playing with and using rendering software later in college for my most favorite of all my classes: Computer Science And Art taught by George Hart. George was a really cool professor and a genius. But he was also amazingly creative, which I admired about him. In a strange twist of fate, the rendering program we used was actually Maya and not 3DS Max, oh well.

I remember doing a bunch of renders. I can't find any but this one, though. I remember spending hours fiddling with it only to have to wait hours just to render the image and see the result. Well, usually it was quicker, but the final image always took a few hours or more to render.



I like it, though. It's pretty generic, and I probably followed a tutorial of some kind, but it's kind of amazing to design something at the computer and then have the resulting image turn out so realistic. I remember doing an indoor scene, too. And I made a table, that took more time than one would think. In Maya, I remember making a character with an abnormally large head.

When we were done, one of us got to have our model made on a rapid prototyping machine, but alas mine was not chosen.It's okay though.

Despite the fact that school sucked and I hated almost every second of it, there were some bright spots in the abyss that was my time at Stonybrook.

For the record, in 2005 it was rated the second unhappiest school, and  by 2008 it had been knocked down to fourth or fifth, so I'm sure that didn't help my distaste of the whole environment any.

Adventures In Good Music: Barbara Streisand

I'm really not the biggest fan of club music or electronica or anything, but I actually kind of like this. I couldn't listen to it repeatedly or anything, but I like a few things about it.

I like Questlove (or however his name is spelled, I think there's a question mark in it somewhere). I like Questlove because he's this big hulking black dude, and you don't see that often in drummers. I like things that are different. Plus, any time he is playing the drums it seems so effortless, like he is bored.

It was filmed with a DSLR. I like that video has now become much more accessible to people. If I could, I'd buy a D3s and make videos all the time, probably of the most inane things, like cats and stuffed animals.

Cameos are always fun in videos, even if it is Kanye West.

It's called Barbra Streisand, for crying out loud.

This is clever, and I approve. It's fun and I can see how this fits its intended venue. I don't know what they sampled, and if they made something new out of it, but based on the fact that they say Barbra Strisand, I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they transformed the original.

On Music, And It's Constant Failings In Relation To Usher, et al

You may recall a certain song from 2010 by Usher titled OMG. It's one of those songs that became many a girls's jam. It had a couple things going for it: 1) a hook 2) Usher Raymond.


Let's take a look at this masterpiece, shall we?
(Lyrics not mine)

[Will.I.Am:]
Oh my gosh
Baby let me......
I did it again, so I'm gone let the beat drop
Oh my

A fine introduction, although what, exactly, has will.i.am done again? Written a song? Produced one? Plagiarized? Let's continue.

[Chorus:]
Baby let me love you down
There's so many ways to love ya

This is very compelling. Although, "let me love you down" sounds dirty, I will assume this is a much more wholesome sentiment based upon the next line which, accurately, posits that there are many ways to love. Already suggested is to love "down." I dutifully offer "up" as just one such alternative loving style. It's much more optimistic, anyway, don't you think?

Baby I can break you down
There's so many ways to love ya

This does not sound like something a lover would say. Why would he want to break her? Why would you want to render your love incapacitated. Maybe Usher wants to take advantage of his baby? If so, what kind of love is this? Again, he posits there are many ways to love. This time, I offer the suggestion, "I can build you up" in lieu of his line.

Got me like, ooh myy gosh I'm soo in love
I found you finally, you make me want to say
Oh, oh , oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
Ohh my gosh
You make me want to say
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

I'm not sure what to say about this, honestly. For such huge stars (Usher and will.i.am) this is middling emotions at best. I mean, really? Apparently he (or someone) is soooooo in love it makes him want to say "oh" repeatedly. On the one hand, it doesn't encourage him to say anything, just encourages him to, for once, actually want to say something. Then, upon realizing this revelation, he breaks down to the literary bombshell that is "oh" over and over again.

Personally, if all Krissy could come up with to describe her love for me is "oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh" I'd be insulted.

[Verse 1:]
I fell in love with shawty when I seen her on the dance floor
She was dancing sexy, pop, pop, popping, dropping, dropping low

Here, we begin to see the depth of Usher's heart. Here, we learn of the beginnings of what may well be the greatest love story of the twenty first century. Usher and his shorty. Or shawty, I don't know which.

Ah, love at first sight. This is kind of shallow. Love is not something you see across the dancefloor at a club while the music thuds your heart out of your chest. I understand how this can be confusing for Usher, though. The music at those places is really loud, the bass is egregious, and the ladies tend to dress...let's just say scantily.

I suspect what caught his heart was her repeated dropping, dropping low, and the visuals that that led him to imagine happening later that night.

Never ever has a lady hit me on the first sight
This was something special; this was just like dynamite

Oh, so this is the first time he's felt love at first sight. Maybe this is a part of Usher's great reawakening, lyrically and emotionally. Maybe this is the woman he cheated on his now ex-wife with. Could this be the real thing?

This is so special it's like dynamite. It will explode. Explosions, generally, are not a positive thing. Bombs explode and they kill people, lots of them, every day in fact. Maybe this is a description of his great outpouring of emotions watching shorty drop it, repeatedly.

Honey got a booty like pow, pow, pow
Honey got some boobies like wow, oh wow

Any legitimacy this song might have had, emotionally, lyrically, or any other way was just thrown out the window, just so you know. Girls, don't you love it when a guy comes up to you and tells you you've "got boobies like wow, oh wow?" I can't fathom it, but if a girl told me I had a penis like wow, oh wow, I'd wonder how she knew and call the police for feeling violated.

Anyway, my findings indicate that Usher has fallen in love at first sight based upon two facets of this woman:

• Her ass (booty)
• Her titties (boobies)

This may not have the makings of the great love affair of the twenty-first century after all.

Girl you know I'm loving your, loving your style
Check, check, check, check, check, checking you out like,
Ooh (oooh) she got it allll
Sexy from her head to toe
And I want it all, it all, it all

Usher loves her style. This makes sense, because Usher (and will.i.am) are pretty stylish themselves, so it is only fitting that he'd gravitate towards a woman's style. And her boobies.

We can't afford to forget, though, that this is a club. Club attire is not generally known for its cloying. Indeed, it's likely the opposite, clubbing attire is rather spicy. According to my scientific study which involves searching "clubbing" on Google Images, I have come to the conclusion that clubbing attire is an amalgamation of the following: (In relation to the ladies)

• They bare their midriffs and grab their own breasts, while wearing mini-skirts
• They wear t-shirts, rolled up until they are just under their breasts, and a g-string. No pants or skirt.
• They wear bikini tops/bras and short, pleated skirts.
• They wear dresses that just cover their derriere.

Apparently, she has it all, too. Does this mean she dresses and acts like a tramp? Regardless, he wants it all. No skirt will be left unturned.

[Chorus:]
Baby let me love you down
There's so many ways to love ya
Baby I can break you down
There's so many ways to love ya
Got me like, ooh myy gosh I'm soo in love
I found you finally, you make me want to say
Oh, oh , oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
Ohh my gosh

You make me want to say [repeat 2x]
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Here, he reiterates what he said earlier. You, know, that part about loving her down, exploding, and how this ever exhaustive love makes him want to say oh, repeatedly. He just wanted to remind you, in case you forgot, or something.

[Will.I.Am:]
Feel so hard for honey out of all the girls up in this club

I hope he means that he has fallen hard for her, and not that she has gotten him aroused. This one can really go either way. By the way, you'd think if she's had this much of an effect on him, he would approach her, maybe? No, he'd rather watch creepily from a distance like a peeper.

This one got me whipped, just off one look, yep I fell in love
This one something special, this one just like dynamite

Again with the dynamite? Really? I'd think maybe will.i.am could get more creative with the earlier mention of explosion. Maybe he could have instead gone with "This one something special, this one just like Mentos and Cola."

Consider that dynamite destroys ("blighted") buildings, people, vehicles, (nonblighted) buildings, et cetera. These are not happy, positive visuals. Even when done properly and safely, for the proper reasons, there are sirens, horns, and warnings everywhere. The entire process is kind of acerbic and desensitized. But who doesn't enjoy Mentos in cola? It's fun and exciting! It's not particularly dangerous either. Anyone can understand this simile because they can reenact it. Can I go buy some dynamite and blow a building to kingdom come for a better understanding of these lyrics? No. I'd be considered a terrorist. But I can buy some Mentos and soda, and so can you. As an added bonus, you won't even be added to the No Fly List. You're welcome, will.i.am.

You're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're out of sight
Fell in love with honey like my, oh my
Honey looking wonderful; fly, so fly

Okay, so she is out of sight (nice throwback!), and fly, so fly. Oh, and again he just has to mention that he's fallen in love with her. Maybe this is a play on repetition. After all, this song is largely built upon repetition, to an extent not normally found in songs that tend to be repetitious in general anyway. Could this be a literary device? I wonder...

Honey like a supermodel; my, oh my
Baby how you do that, make a grown man cry?

Maybe not. Okay so you're in love with her. Check. She has a nice body. Check. You love her booty and boobies. Check. She's like a supermodel! Though, supermodels aren't exactly known for their bodacious booty or voluptuous breasts. In fact, any supermodel I can conjure up kind of has...well flat butts and virtually no breasts. Except for swimsuit models, but they aren't what I consider a "supermodel" or "high fashion." Heidi Klum didn't really gain those assets until fairly recently, after repeatedly dropping out Seal's babies and now what? She resigned as Chief Angel for Victoria's Secret. Maybe Victoria's secret is that she only likes curvy models if they're in their twenties or below; no MILFs allowed. Sorry Heidi, you've stumbled into this song's plot hole.

Ooh (oooh) baby, you got it alll
Sexy from her head to the toe
And I want it all, it all, it all

I think this was said already. If it wasn't it's been implied. One could likely infer this, plot holes notwithstanding.

[Chorus:]
So, honey let me love you down
There's so many ways to love ya
Baby I can break it down
There's so many ways to love ya
Got me like, ooh myy gosh I'm soo in love I found you finallyy,
You make me want to say..
Oh, oh , oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
Oh My Gosh!

The chorus again. What a refreshing break from the verse! My, oh my am I glad to have this brief reprieve from the literary blowing of my mind that is happening, lyrically.

Oh my gosh
Oh my
Oh my
Oh, oh my gosh

Oh. My. Gosh. When will it end?

[Will.I.Am:]
Oh myy gosh
I did it again
So I'm gone let the beat drop

Oh, hey, this is how the song started. Maybe this means this is over, and I can mull over what this has done to my brain. Perhaps I can now write the great novel of the twenty first century. Or just not listen to Usher ever again.

Oh, by the way, what's with the autotune. I mean, really, it's obnoxious. I'd like to think Usher can sing and doesn't need it. Why take this song which is kind of flat on its own, and juice it up with autotune? Not only is it unnecessary, but it took a song which was bad and made it worse. The only part of this song that I enjoy is the melody/beat, and that isn't original.



That's right; the Simpsons did it. In Usher and will.i.am's defense, the Simpsons have done everything, so nothing is original.

For the record, will.i.am wrote and produced the song, so I guess it's his fault that the song is unoriginal in its melody, and atrociously written.

How About Some Music?

I think now would be an appropriate time for some music. Now is a good time for something a bit happier.




You can buy the song here from Amazon.

The song is Do Wah Diddy Diddy by Manfred Mann. It's actually a cover, though, originally recorded by The Exciters, which is an interesting name for a band. At least their motives are clear. I like this song, though; it's very upbeat and happy. And everyone knows it.

Here are the lyrics. If they are incorrect, don't blame me; blame those lyrics sites that the record companies are always trying to shut down.

There she was just a-walkin' down the street, singin' "Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do"
Snappin' her fingers and shufflin' her feet, singin' "Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do"
She looked good (looked good), she looked fine (looked fine)
She looked good, she looked fine and I nearly lost my mind

Before I knew it she was walkin' next to me, singin' "Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do"
Holdin' my hand just as natural as can be, singin' "Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do"
We walked on (walked on) to my door (my door)
We walked on to my door, then we kissed a little more

Whoa-oh, I knew we was falling in love
Yes I did, and so I told her all the things I'd been dreamin' of

Now we're together nearly every single day, singin' "Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do"
A-we're so happy and that's how we're gonna stay, singin' "Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do"
Well I'm hers (I'm hers), she's mine (she's mine)
I'm hers, she's mine, wedding bells are gonna chime

Whoa-oh, I knew we was falling in love
Yes I did, and so I told her all the things I'd been dreamin' of

Now we're together nearly every single day, singin' "Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do"
A-we're so happy and that's how we're gonna stay, singin' "Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do"
Well I'm hers (I'm hers), she's mine (she's mine)
I'm hers, she's mine, wedding bells are gonna chime

Whoa-oh-oh-oh, oh yeah
Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do, we'll sing it
Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do, oh yeah, oh, oh yeah
Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do

To Middle-Aged People: Ignorance Isn't Bliss

Let me begin by apologizing if you are middle-aged and this does not apply to you. If you are not afraid of technology, then I salute you; you are my kind of person. By no means am I lumping any group of people together, other than the group of people who pride themselves on their ignorance. That said, I hope you read and enjoy, nonetheless; maybe you will feel my pain. I'm sure we all know a few of these types of people.

Ignorance Is...Well, Ignorant

You know the maxim, "Ignorance is bliss"? It's total crap. Really, when is ignorance ever bliss? Sure, for the person who is ignorant, it's kind of nice, but they are ignorant, so why should that count for enough to coin a phrase? No, ignorance isn't bliss, because the rest of us, unfortunately, have to put up with it. But what's even worse, is sometimes we have to defend it. Oh, don't hold it against her, she's just ignorant. Well, maybe she should be educated. (For what it's worth, I didn't intend to suggest with that statement that women exclusively are ignorant, I just needed a gender and it came out, if you are offended, change "she's" to "he's" and "her" to him.")

I have, in the last five years or so, come across a lot of people who claim to be horrible with technology. Any technology. The number of people who use the same excuse kind of bewilders me. What is even more odd, is that I don't talk to that many people, although I did work at CompUSA. That said, I have never liked the phrase "I'm not good at". We all have things that try us more than others. I have struggled with math for most of my life. Am I no good at it? No. I'm pretty sure if I really applied myself, and had the right person to help me, I could get it. Besides, my trouble was mostly with physics, which is another beast altogether. But technology, computers, et cetera, how do people get away with it?

What is even more...infuriating, is that these people actually pride themselves on their ignorance. How is the inability to operate a cellphone a point of pride for some people? It's kind of like being proud that, as a man, you don't put the seat down, you proudly piss all over it (and the floor). (There you go ladies, there's your redemption from earlier. Are we even now?)

What ultimately bothers me though is that I worry for these people. The future is unavoidable. Five years ago, sure maybe you could get away with this kind of attitude. Cell phones weren't nearly as ubiquitous as they are now, computers could be avoided, Twitter didn't exist, and Facebook still required an e-mail address from certain colleges. But what if they get into an accident? What if something happens to them and they can't get help because they can't make a phone call and proudly never got a cell phone. Maybe these people haven't realized it yet, but pay phones don't exist anymore. I think in my travels across the fine state of Connecticut, I've seen maybe two.

I think that we have lost our way as a people. I think there was a time when people did things for themselves, learning and knowing a bit about everything. I'm not expecting the Renaissance, no, but maybe we can be more than one-trick-ponies. No, that sounds a bit unfair. Maybe we shouldn't be so scared of things that are new. Why do new things scare us?

Why So Scared?

I understand newness is scary; we like the familiar. But isn't there at least some exhilaration to cracking something new? I am not a car guy. Cars really don't interest me. I don't need to drive two hundred miles-per-hour, nor do I need a vehicle with six hundred horsepower. Truth be told, I really want a Vespa. But, if something goes wrong, I'd kind of like to give fixing it a try if it's easy enough. Case in point, a battery died, not on my car, but it died nonetheless. I thought to myself that I'd like to deal with it. Changing a battery isn't rocket science (despite what some people may think), so I figured I'd look up what I needed to know and spent an hour or so fixing it. And you know what? I liked it. Maybe it made me feel a little manly, but most of all I was pleased to do something myself and not have to pay someone else to do it. Am I now a car guy? No, not in the least, but I'm still going to attempt to be one.

As the ranking computer person in my family, and the ranking boy in another, I've found myself on the receiving end of this type of unapologetic ignorance. I have changed quite a few batteries, and screwed things that needed screwing (get your mind out of the gutter, mind you, they were screws). I've carried bags, plugged things in, and opened computer cases and that hardly scratches the surface. It's not that I don't mind helping. Honestly I like helping people. What bothers me the most is when someone asks for help because they don't want to try something. I can't tell you how many times this happened at my jobs. Every single one of them, too.

To be honest, I understand the elderly who don't want to deal with computers. I think that maybe they've earned that right. I'm not going to fault them for their stubbornness, but I know of quite a few elderly people who absolutely love their technology now that they've embraced it. But if you are in your forties or fifties, it kind of boggles my mind to ignore computers and technology as a whole.

Looking Forward

I worry for these people. What happens when you are at your job, which you feel secure in, warrants this technology you so fear? Consider for a moment that jobs are being consolidated. Companies figure why pay two people what one can do? Truth be told, the larger the company the more it seems like they want to consolidate four or five jobs into one, but that's a blog for another date.

Technology isn't going anywhere. Technology is here to stay and evolve, and the longer anyone avoids it, the further behind they find themselves. There are a lot of people who dislike math. Like I wrote before, it's not been my strongest subject in life. But you know who doesn't have problems with math? Mathematicians. It's not because they're geniuses. Sure, I bet many of them are, but I think it's for a different reason. Consider the fact that the people involved in the forward motion of math are mathematicians. They don't need to relearn everything, because they are travelling with math as it evolves. This same is true with computers and technology.

Once upon a time, computers were harder to learn than now. Instead of a nice, usable user interface like Windows 7, we had only console screens. Nothing but text. Did you want to plug something in? Well, lots of plugs were proprietary and there were a great many ports on a computer. There are still some remnants left on the back, too. You likely still have a printer port back there. It's, frankly, huge and takes up space. You may have a serial port too, which is much smaller. You may have a floppy drive, too. All of these have been replaced of course to become easier. Most peripherals connect now via USB ports. Fortunately, computers (and most technology) has actually gotten easier to use over time. Computers are actually incredibly easy to use, especially compared to twenty or more years ago. Cellphones, too, are really simple to use. Frankly, I'd hate for something terrible to happen to someone because they couldn't operate a cell phone. So, too, would I hate for someone to lose a job, or be unable to get a job, because they opted to ignore computers.

Looking Back

I remember the beep beep pang whizz of my modem dialing up AOL. I remember the first time I surfed the internet on a decent connection. I remember LAN parties at ten years old. Suffice to say that I am a nerd, a geek, whatever your word of choice for me, I am that. I grew up in a home that wasn't afraid of computers or technology. We had an IBM PS/2, an archaic bit of technology now, but it worked, and I learned on it. To this day I have fond memories of five-inch floppies and the games I played on that machine. As much as I love the new, fancy look and feel of games, I feel that that love is indebted to DOS games and that IBM PS/2.

I remember my brother, Chris, got a computer for Christmas or his birthday one year. Finally, I was moving on up. Yes, it was his computer, in his room, but it was as good as mine. I used it a lot, especially at night. I remember the rise and fall of Napster on that computer, the ever familiar "You've Got Mail" on that computer, and the beginning of my fascination with the internet in general on it. I don't know when it was, but I got a computer eventually, too, from my dad. It's kind of funny in a way, I only got rid of that computer a few years ago. I have a problem discarding computers.

The thing is, I like the environment, I care deeply for it, and I hate to know that I'm hurting it by throwing a computer in the garbage. But my computers have largely been my amigos, so to speak. I've lived through events in my live with them being a part of it. I feel like a lot of my views on life have, at least in part, been formed by my life on the computer.

In The End...

I'm not asking the uninitiated and ignorant people to delve deeply into computers and technology. I don't expect them to understand that everything is ones and zeroes, nor do I want them to understand gates, NAND operations, or the like. No, I just want them to be able to plug one in and turn it on. I want them to be able to take a cell phone and make a phone call. I don't require that they make accounts on Facebook and Twitter (though, I bet a lot of them would like Facebook).  I just want them to try and to realize that, ultimately, computers and all modern technology is precisely that: modern.

I suspect that back in the fifties when televisions were new people weren't so scared. Didn't watching tv together become something of a family event where everyone would gather to watch? It was new, it was exciting! How about microwaves? They were a technological innovation at the time. Cooking food quickly and easily? No need to fire up the oven? Yes, please! But now, all of a sudden, where is this enthusiasm? Aren't the people who are so afraid of modern tech the same who grew up with these innovations? How would they have felt if their parents were afraid of television, and instead held onto their radios like television would be the death of all things good?

Truth is, computers can be daunting. The internet invites us, our humble little selves, in our humble little towns, into the larger, grander world. There are a lot of awful and dangerous things on the internet. There's a lot to fear: viruses, porn, liberals, conservatives, Jesus freaks, atheists, hate mongerers, hippies; they're all there. But that is kind of the beauty of the internet, too. Everyone is represented.

I like vintage things. I like the idea of taking something old but functional and keeping it around. I'd rather reuse something than buy something new. And when I do buy something new, I like it to be something that will last forever. It's very difficult to find that kind of stuff around here though. I also like handmade things. No offense to big corporations, but I like being able to meet the person who made my (fill in the blank), or at the very least being able to talk to them. I don't know where my socks came from, or my pants. Nor do I know who made my television or my mirror. But if I buy hand towels from Etsy or a craft fair instead of K-Mart I feel more of a connection. What I'm trying to say, in an extremely roundabout way, mind you, is that for all the bad that is on the internet, there is an infinite amount of good to counter it. I can now find like minded folks, without having to move to a place like New Haven. But what about those people in the middle of nowhere? Where can they turn? What about gay people who live in fiercely conservative areas? The internet could provide the only solution for them. Sure, there's a lot of hate and controversy on the internet, but there's just as much if not more in real life.

So don't worry. Technology isn't all that scary. And if you need a hand, I don't mind helping you. I'm sure there are others, too, that want to help. All I ask is that you make an effort. That's it, just try. I want you to learn. I want to help you do just that. It's a crazy place out there, but it's the same crazy we're all used to.

The Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear

This will be pretty picture-heavy; be forewarned.

In The Beginning...

This past weekend was Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert's Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear. I suppose you could consider it a parody of Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor rally, except with less tea bagging and more unadulterated awesome. Let me begin by saying it was a very long, exhausting day of essentially standing still. We got up around three in the morning to leave at four. The bed was pretty stiff which, combined with the fact that we were a bit sick, basically meant that neither of us slept very well; I think I slept for, at most, a few hours. Four a.m. hits, and it's time to hit the road; two and a half hours later and we arrived at the metro station just outside of D.C Thankfully, there are 3,400 parking spaces and we were able to park and wait for the trains to show up at 7:00. I was excited seeing the people around who were headed to the rally; 'twas refreshing seeing older people going and not just young people looking for a free show.


After settling in, we were greeted by various games and videos on the Jumbotron, which made it less painful to wait for the show to start. All in all. waiting went by fairly quicker than I'd have thought. There were all kinds of people with all sorts of signs all similarly excited for whatever it was that we were all about to witness/ It was exhilarating/

Our Surroundings...

Settled in for a long day, we found a place to stand (and stand, and stand...). We were actually surprisingly close. If I had to guess, I'd say we were maybe one hundred feet away or so. Alas, neither Krissy nor myself are very tall, so without the perfect conditions, seeing stages can be tough. The media pit was in front of us and to the left; one of the comedy central cameras was in front of us; and a tent, which I think was another media tent (for viewing and such) was in front of us and to the right.

Some fellow rally goers in our surrounding area


Unfortunately, to say Krissy's view was obstructed would be an understatement


There was an older lady sitting behind us (this was before the rally, some people had brought chairs so they weren't standing for 8+ hours). Personally, I really liked her sign.


This Sikh gentleman was next to me. He was on camera a lot (probably the turban and beard). He was nice. He was pretty patient with a girl who insisted on everyone surrounding him putting towels on their heads in an effort to get on tv.


This guy was to our right.


This one, too.


This girl was to our left


This was our view. You can see the edge of the media pit to the left (note the stairs), the tent to the right, and the cameraman (and his damned ladder!) basically right in front of us.


Even Jeffrey came along for the trip! Here he is in our free noisemaker/megaphone type thing.

The Media Comes Calling...

Here is one of the anchors giving a report during the rally. I'm not sure who he is but hes older and looked distinguished, ergo I liked him.


Then there's these two (from CNN). The woman was taking notes, asking people questions, etc. She seemed so bored and uninterested, though. Then there's the hotshot in the aviators and leather jacket. He seemed pretty happy with himself hopping about; he seems like a douchebag to me.


A cameraman from NBC News


Before the rally began, one of the cameramen (I think) was carrying his son around on his shoulders. I feel weird taking pictures of kids in public sometimes. Not that I don't want to. I always want to. But I know adults, and I don't need some errant parent going apeshit on me because they take offense, so this is the picture I got.


I liked this photographer. In a sea of telephoto lenses and ultramodern digital cameras here he was taking a photo with a panoramic camera. It looks like his other camera might be a Leica, too, but I can't tell (and, truth be told, have never seen one in person)

Let The Games Begin...

Jon Stewart singing was an interesting experience. The song was exceptionally funny.


Sheryl Crow performing with Kid Rock backed by The Roots (who are actually kind of awesome)


Mick Foley (who is awesome) accepting his award


The O'Jay's performing Love Train


Papier Mache puppet Steven Colbert: The fear monster


John Oliver (dressed as Peter Pan) coming out to help Jon Stewart slay the fear monster


Tony Bennett performing America, The Beautiful, which was awesome/ The picture is a bit low quality though.


The end performance. Mavis Staples, Tony Bennett, Ozzy, Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam), Jeff Tweedy, Sheryl Crow, The Roots, The Mythbusters, and many more!


I like John Oliver's expression in this picture


A better picture showing more of the people on stage than the previous pictures


Headed home (tired, achy feet)! At this point we still had a two hour drive back to Delaware. I liked these advertisements set out by Media Matters though. Very nice tie-in to the rally. I'm not sure if they were only in the metro or not, since we didn't explore too much of D.C. but there were banners inside the metro stations, too. Very cool. I approve.

These Are Not End Times

The rally was amazing, and awe-inspiring. It's hard to fathom 250,000 people, but one can't help but feel flooded by all sorts of emotions. I can't express how happy I am that we attended the rally; it was amazing feeling a part of something. The experience was absolutely amazing and I hope that people will learn from it, and that the rhetoric in this country can change.

Thumbs up from Tricky Dick